Monday

A Texas sheriff’s commander allegedly challenged his deputies during a staff meeting to have sex with a “Live PD” television show producer, according to a grievance filed this month.

Attorney Robert McCabe told the Austin American-Statesman he filed a sexual harassment/improper conduct grievance April 4 with the Williamson County sheriff’s office against Cmdr. Steve Deaton. According to the grievance, Deaton was in a shift briefing with 20 deputies, lieutenants and sergeants on March 12 when he started making sexual remarks about one of “Live PD’s” female producers.

Deaton, a patrol division commander and a former assistant chief with the Austin Police Department, declined to comment Friday.

Sheriff Robert Chody said Friday that he couldn’t comment about a pending investigation.

“Live PD” has been filming Williamson County deputies and featuring them on episodes that have recently aired on the A&E Network. A&E did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Deaton first told the deputies during the meeting that he needed to know which one of them had slept with one of the producers of the show, the grievance said.

“No one in the room responded,” the document said. Deaton then said that he knew someone in the room had had sex with the producer, the grievance said.

“After getting no response from those present, Deaton then began to explain how ‘Live PD’ exchanges producers after each season,” according to the grievance. Deaton said it was his goal to have one of his deputies have sex with the producer before she left, the complaint said.

“There was an awkward silence in the room, which prompted some deputies to start making jokes about who might be the one to accomplish this goal for Commander Deaton,” according to the grievance. Four women were present during the meeting, including three deputies and one sergeant, the complaint said.

“This grievance is being filed on behalf of our members who fear retaliation as a result of reporting this incident or subsequent discipline for failure to report a policy violation,” McCabe wrote in the complaint. He said the members include deputies who were present during the remarks and are members of the Texas Municipal Police Association.

McCabe told the Statesman on Friday that he had also sent a copy of the grievance to all the members of the Williamson County Commissioners Court just to ensure an investigation took place.

McCabe sent the grievance to the professional standards division of the Williamson County sheriff’s office. The most serious complaints are investigated by the Internal Affairs Section and the less serious allegations are sent to the individual officer’s division for investigation, according to the sheriff’s website.